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The Defense of Self-Defense in Domestic Violence Cases

In domestic violence cases, defense frequently alleges the victim was the first aggressor and that the defendant acted in self-defense. In this thirty minute webinar Carrie Newton from MDAA's Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit will cover how prosecutors can persuade the jury that the defendant is the first aggressor by limiting self-defense evidence offered pursuant to Commonwealth v. Adjutant, 443 Mass. 649 (2005), offering evidence of the defendant's prior violent acts, pursuant to the Supreme Judicial Court's February 7, 2013 decision in Commonwealth v. Morales and by utilizing the physical evidence and attributes of the victim and defendant.